Archive for the ‘House Extensions’ Category

Tips For Planning A New House Extension

Friday, March 30th, 2012

Are You Thinking of Building A House Extension?

House Extensions are becoming more and more popular due to the cost of moving house being so high and house values continuing to fall. Now is a great time to build a new house extension so that when house values increase, so will yours with that newly added house extension.

Cardiff and Bridgend House Extension Builders There are many house extension ideas to choose from but it is not always as simple as picking one from a magazine or one that you may have seen on holiday.

We generally find that most of our customers appreciate the comprehensive and flexible packages we offer. By that I mean, here at Derwood Homes we can design your new house extension from scratch, submit a planning application on your behalf and of course prepare and submit a detailed Building Regulation Application.

Unfortunately planning fees and applications have increased and so have construction costs.

This is one reason why a lot of people think they can cut corners by having plans and building regs designed and submitted by unqualified individuals. This is a big mistake. As we all know, preparation is always the key. Otherwise it will come back and bite you hard. Do NOT be tempted !

8 Top Tips For Preparing To Build a New House Extension

1.  Ensure that the order in which you design, prepare and submit your house extension plans is done correctly to minimise costs. People tend to get this process mixed up. House extension costs can vary, so getting the plans designed in accordance with your budget will save time and prevent you having to re-design your house extension if the cost turns out to be much higher that what you can afford.

2.  Make sure you find someone who can design the plans and engineering detail for your new extension at the same time or at least take the two points into consideration from the start. It’s all good and well designing a modern high spec house extension and obtaining planning permission only to later discover that the house extension construction costs are not within your budget. We always tend to discuss with our clients what their budget is and then design their new house extension within those boundaries. Getting that fine balance right is paramount.

3.  Ensure that your designer and engineer are one of the same people or company rather than two separate individuals who may not know each other. This will save you costs in the long run. The amount of times we have taken over projects because an Architect / Engineer have not communicated properly and ended up providing a poor service to their customers is quite shocking. Communication is so important.

4.  Avoid cutting corners when preparing to build a house extension by not designing a full set of Building Regs for approval before works start. By doing so will ensure that all of the construction detail for the builder you choose to build your extension, knows what the current regulations are and the materials to use. If the builder tries to cut corners then only he is to blame rather than the onus being placed upon you.

5.  There are lot’s of good reputable builders around despite what some of the programmes on television say. Finding one that can provide the above from start will definitely save you time and money in the long term. In fact it will make the whole experience much more pleasurable and help develop a good working relationship. Derwood homes House Extension Builders

6.  Find a reputable builder who will project manage the works for you. Our customers love this type of service that we offer. There really is no need to appoint an outside project manager, but if it makes you feel more comfortable to pay the extra cost to do so then there is nothing wrong with that.

7.  Never pay a builder more than 10% of the build costs before works commence for building materials or as a deposit. Make sure that you fully agree what the stage payments are throughout the construction of your house extension project and what if any works may be deemed as extra or outside the main scope of works. Personally, I believe that some payment should be made before works commence as it is always a risk for a builder to carry out work for a customer who may not have any intention of paying and of course vise versa. It’s all about trust, honesty and having a first class working relationship.

8.  Try to allocate between 10 and 15% of the new house extension cost towards any unforeseen costs that may crop up. I know budgets are always tight but this can help a great deal. Remember that a builder inspector can always insist on extra works being carried out during the construction stage over and above what may be on the design drawings and of course there can be a situation whereby something within the existing property is uncovered that may require urgent remedial works to be carried out.

I hope the above is helpful. Good luck.

Feel Free To Contact Us For Any Advice You May Require. We Would Be Glad To Help

Kind Regards
ROY DERRICK

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Looking For A Good Builder

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

I Need A Good Builder in Bridgend

Sound familiar?

Are You Looking for a Good builder? I need a good reputable builder in Cardiff

Have you ever been in the situation before where you have struggled to find a good reputable builder or has anyone ever asked if  ‘ you know a good builder?’

Finding a good reputable builder is not always easy because people are very often skeptical due to the bad press and TV Programmes that illustrate some builders as being rouge builders, but don’t let that put you off.. It’s not as bad is it all sounds.

If you are looking for a good reputable builder, then word of mouth is always a good starting point. Another way is by looking on the Internet to search for a recommended and reputable builder.   

Simply go online and type in ‘I am looking for a builder in Bridgend ‘ or Cardiff,  Porthcawl , Caerphilly, Barry or South Wales for example. Naming the town where you live will help narrow down the search so that you can find a good reputable builder near you.   

Internet Search engines such as Google will then highlight a few options for you to consider. I would highly recommend that you arrange a free no obligation meeting with a few of tGood Builder in Bridgend and Cardiffhe builders that look reputable to you. This will give you the opportunity to meet the builder of your choice in person so that you can get to know them in person.

Building a rapport with a good reputable builder before committing to any type of contract is definitely a good idea. Believe it or not there are lots of people that have deliberately deceived builders in the same way some builders have deceived their customers, which is why both parties may be nervous about one another other to begin with.  Communication and ensuring that every aspect of a project is discussed is extremely important before is starts.

Most good reputable builders offer a good open and honest service and are very trust worthy when it comes to customers paying for the work that is being carried out.

By offering a service whether it is as a builder or any other type of service it means cash flow and being able to pay wages is just as important to a reputable builder as is the work being done to a high standard to a customer.

We at Derwood Homes and Developments for example understand how important this is and that construction terminology and schedules may not be the same as a customer’s way of thinking.

This is why it is so important for both parties to communicate openly as possible to ensure that the working relationship that develops is a good one… just like in any marriage!Reputable buuilder in Cardiff and Caerphilly

If you are looking for a builder, what very often stands out is a builder that turns up every day to carry out a good hard days work, is clean, efficient, professional and very helpful in talking through each stage with their customer. Regardless how good and reputable a builder may be, having construction works done in your home can be stressful. Again, don’t let this put you off, discuss with your builder any concerns you have with regards to any disruption to your day to day activities and what can be done to minimize the effects.

Most builders are keen to help and please their customers, so don’t be afraid to sit down and have a cup of coffee with your builder to discuss each day or stage as things progress.

Developing a good working relationship with a builder is the key and will keep everyone happy and of course make your project worthwhile. Whether you’re looking to have a loft or attic conversion, a new house extension, garage conversion or any type of building work we at Derwood Homes and Developments would be glad to help.

If you would like more advice please feel free to contact us HERE at any time

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Posted in Builders, Federation Of Master Builders, Home Improvements, House Extensions, Loft Conversions, Reputable Builders | No Comments »

How To Choose A Reputable Builder In South Wales

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Finding A Reliable And Reputable Builder in Bridgend, Cardiff And South Wales

We all hear stories like the plumber that charged an elderly man £2,880 an hour and the family that scammed pensioners out of £1million – it can be nightmare to find a trustworthy and reputable builder when you need building work done at your home.

In fact, Brits fork out over a staggering £737 million to rectify botched jobs by cowboy builders each year, so it is crucial to choose your builder with care. Around 6.2 million (13%) of people in the UK have fallen foul of cowboy builders in the past five years, according to research from Sainsbury’s home insurance, and have had to fork out nearly £3.7bn to rectify botched buildng jobs during this time. Analysis shows plumbers have caused the most damage, with 1.4m homeowners suffering from their poor quality work since 2006. Most homes are now having new extensions built as well as loft conversions, landscaping work and garage conversions constructed rather than move home.

Reputable Builders South Wales

Reputable Builders South Wales

Of those of us that have fallen victim to a cowboy bulder, an average £2,077 was paid for the work they carried out. On top of this amount homeowners had to pay nearly £600 to either repair the damage or complete the unfinished job. While over 150,000 people are estimated to have paid over £5000 to rectify a botched job. Ben Tyte, Head of Sainsbury’s Home Insurance comments: “We’re concerned that so many homeowners have to rectify poor workmanship carried out by builders they’ve employed in good faith to work in their homes“.

It’s completely unacceptable that building remedial costs are exceeding £700 million. Of course the burden isn’t just financial; there can be a great deal of personal stress attached to these difficult situations including the clean up and often confrontation. On the other side of the coin, there are people who deliberately appoint builders with the intention of never paying for the excellent work they carry out, which then causes huge problems, very often leading towards the builders reputation being tarnished.

Cost over quality
Coming from a family of reputable building and construction porfessionals, I’m aware that the dodgy guys often undercut reasonable quotes in order to secure the work. Yet accepting suspiciously low quotes can be the start of costly mistakes, that sees quality sacrificed in favour of saving money and homeowners being faced with footing an even higher bill to put botched building works right. Ok, we may well blow our own trumpet and claim that Derwood Homes and Developments are excellent repuatable builders, but like everyone else we can make mistakes, but the main thing to look out for is a builder who is keen to please their customers and even admit and rectify any silly mistakes they may make without trying to charge you for doing so.

Tyte addes: “In these challenging economic times, it’s understandable that people want to cut back on costs but where work to the home is concerned it’s just not worth the risk. It’s simply false economy, especially if you’ve invalidated your home insurance by not taking due care. It’s imperative you hire a quality builder, and make sure that the work is done properly.”

Sainsbury’s home insurance warns that in extreme cases, if a homeowner is proven not to have taken reasonable care of their property, they could also risk invalidating their home insurance.

Professional Builders

Professional Builders

So how should you choose a reputable builder?

  • Spend time researching – ask for friends, family or neighbours for recommendations.
  • Follow up references – contact the names the builder gives you and ask to view the work. Happy customers should always be happy to talk and show you the building work they have had done
  • Always check for relevant qualifications and accreditations, from associations such as FMB and the NHBC
  • Always seek at least three quotes and don’t automatically opt for the cheapest. You may well regret it !
  • Get everything in writing, including a breakdown of costs and a completion date for the project.
  • Check your home insurance to ensure you are covered for the work and if a 24-hour home emergency advice service is available should things go wrong.

It is advisable to appoint a builder who has all of the skills and tradesmen within his own team of men. This will ensure that the complete project is carried out efficiently and to the same standards everyone expects. It even means that the builder is in complete control of the project and responsible for everyone working in your home.

Yes, there are nightmare builders out there, but there are also some excellent ones as well.

Looking to find a reliable and reputable builder ?  www.derwoodhomes.co.uk

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Planning Permission – The Basic Requirements

Friday, October 14th, 2011

How To Get Planning Permission

There Are Some Very Basic Things To Consider Prior To Applying For Planning Permission For A New House, A Loft Conversion, or a House Extension.

Over the last 12 months planning rules have changed and in particular so have Building Regulations. The process towards obtaining Planning Permission, in our opinion hasn’t become easier as the government promised. In fact, if truth be known, we could seriously question what if anything the government have done to help the building industry, in particular the so call small builder and developer, let alone people who simply no longer can afford to move house and instead want to carry out refurbishment works.  3d_architecture_concept

Before I get carried away with myself let’s consider what you can do to ensure that whatever planning application you are considering, you can at least help make your application process flow smoothly hence avoiding any long delays.

Here are 10 hots tips for you to consider towards putting together a planning application that in turn will definately help you to save time and money and prevent you from tearing your hair out.

  • Think carefully what it is you would like to achieve and why. In other words, a bigger kitchen, extra loft space for a play room, a bigger lounge or even a garage.
  • It is worth while doing a Google street view search of your property to try and visualize the impact it might have on the street view and your neightbours. This will give you an insight as to whether your expections will over effect your neighbours.
  • Have a chat with your neighbours to see what their thoughts would be and to establish if they would have any objections. It is always best ot have them on your side rather than the other way around.
  • Local planners always consider the impact a house extension, loft conversion, or a garage conversion would have on the street scene and how it would look in comparasion to adjourning properties, so bear this in mind when considering the size and style of what you are considering . It is no good asking for planning permission to build a black house in the middle of a white house, because it would stick out like a sore thumb !
  • The fees that local authorities charge for applying for planning or building regulations have all increased. Some authorities now even charge to consult them for advice. So long gone are the days of being able to pop in to see the planning officer for Free Advice.. Typcial!
    However, their advice could still be worth paying for . That said, just because a local planning officer may not agree with an application whether it be a loft conversion or large extension, it doesn’t mean that you won’t get permission granted. More and more planning appeals are being won than ever before because of the way some local authorities previously ran their departments.Planning Application, Loft Conversion, Garage Conversion, House Extension
  • It is worth while appointing a good builder, architect or engineer who can help you. Someone who is experienced in planning rules and if at all possible can offer who a complete design and build package.
  • Sadly for some reason the local authorities create a lot of unnecessary stress, delays and costs for ordinary people because of the way they operate their services. This can also be very demoralising and extremely stressful for people which has led them to give up trying, Having someone who can offer you a complete package and take away all of the stresses and strains is worth it’s weight in gold.
  • Set yourself a budget and have your project designed around such a budget rather than the other way around.
  • Alway, always, always take into consideration that you may spend more than you anticipated on design and engineering costs towards applying for planning permission and building regulations.
  • It is well worth asking what the design costs, application fees and engineering and building regulation fees will be, prior to kick starting your application.

With new Planning and Building legislation now in place it is a sad fact that costs are rising all the time. So be prepared for how quickly the design and planning fees can all add up to before you even start to dig a hole !

Yours Truly

ROY DERRICK

www.derwoodhomes.co.uk

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Posted in Attic Conversion Companies, Builders, Construction, Home Improvements, House Extensions, Loft Conversions, Reputable Builders, Self Build, Uncategorized | Comments Off

5 Top Tips Towards Creating Your New House Extension

Friday, March 18th, 2011

What To Consider When Thinking About Adding A New Extension

To Your Home !

Whether you are looking to add a great new space to your home or to add value to your home, we have some great tips to keep in mind when pursuing this project. So where to start? When planning a big new build there are a lot of things you need to keep in mind.

Top Tip 1: Decide what you want! We understand that there may be many things running around in your mind, but to avoid sleepless nights, ideally decide what you want as soon as possible. Indulge in some internet research or pick up a few house improvements magazines for some ideas. This will be the biggest decisions you are likely to make along your journey, so we encourage you to make the right decision for yourself. A single storey build to the rear of your property is what a lot of people decide upon, but you might have a side extension in mind? Also there is the option of a double storey build to add more than one room to your home, maybe a kitchen as well as an en-suite? Whatever you have in mind, make sure you feel comfortable with the plans.

Top Tip 2: The next important stage is the costing. Please don’t be disheartened by money costs, you may be pleasantly surprised by how much the build may not cost. We urge you to look around for different quotes from different builders, go for a builder who has a recognised name or has a selection of past testimonials to prove they are who they seem. It may be a good idea to construct a plan before starting any work, to set out a budget to the amount of money you want to spend and an emergency fund in the case of an emergency. Architecture project

Top Tip 3: The design needs to be taken into consideration. Although you may have already thought about this in the first tip, we would like to support you in making the right decision for the outside look of your extension. Do you want an ultra-modern look to your new extension or would you want it to blend in with the rest of the house? There may be different costs depending on what look suits you. Also we would like to remind you to remember to take into account the windows you want to include in your extension. Do you want them to match or something to modernise the look. Again we encourage you to shop around for different quotes.

Top Tip 4: Choosing an architect can be a difficult shop around. It will become apparent when your extension is built to what architect you chose. We persuade you to choose the right architect for what type of build you require. Many architects might have a modern feel for extensions or others more original. A great place to start is The Royal Institute of British Architects or The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists. These architects will then know if your plans are likely to be passed through planning permission and have contacts in that area of expertise. Please don’t be disheartened if you have to change your original plans a little. Once you’ve chosen the right architect you should be able to trust them but don’t be afraid to share your opinions after all your paying.

Top Tip 5: Last but not least, try and take into consideration many different gadgets you could include into your project. What we mean by this is recyclable materials, ways to save energy in the long run, possibly solar panels? There are many companies to contact who can assist you further. Think about the amount of light that will enter your property. If the extension will be facing the sun throughout the day, it could be extremely beneficial to fork out the extra money for solar panels that will save you money in the future. Although these are far from a necessity but we would like to encourage you to keep them in mind, especially if you are going for the modern look, they can add the finishing modern touches.

We would now like to wish you the best of luck in your new build and hope these top tips help you on your way to a stress free house extension.

If we can help in any way please feel free to contact us here.

www.Derwoodhomes.co.uk

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Posted in Builders, Construction, House Extensions, Interior Design, Reputable Builders, Self Build | 105 Comments »